# 妾

| 妾 | U+59BE, &#22974; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59BE |
| ← 妽 [U+59BD] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 妿 → [U+59BF] |

## Translingual
### Han character

妾 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 卜廿女 (YTV), four-corner 0040$_4$, composition ⿱立女)

#### Derived characters

* 接, 𮀨, 𮋵, 踥

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 257, character 39
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6147
* Dae Jaweon: page 523, character 6
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1040, character 8
* Unihan data for U+59BE

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 妾 :
| Shang | Western Zhou | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 霎 | *sreːb, *sreb |
| 翣 | *sraːb |
| 帹 | *sraːb |
| 接 | *ʔseb |
| 椄 | *ʔseb |
| 菨 | *ʔseb |
| 鯜 | *ʔseb, *sʰeb |
| 妾 | *sʰeb |
| 淁 | *sʰeb |
| 踥 | *sʰeb |
Uncertain.
Possibly a pictogram (象形) of a woman with a headdress. Cognate to 女 with 辛 on top, though in the modern form the headdress has simplified to unrelated 立.
Alternatively, may be an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 辛 (“torture device”) + 女 (“woman”) – female criminal.

### Etymology

Cognate to 捷 (OC *zeb, “victory; booty”) (Schuessler, 2007). See there for more.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): qiè (qie$^4$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄝˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): jie$^2$ / qie$^2$
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): cip$^3$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): tiap$^2$
* Gan (Wiktionary): qiet$^6$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): chhiap / chhiet
    (Meixian, Guangdong): qiab$^5$
* Jin (Wiktionary): qieh$^4$
* Northern Min (KCR): chiĕ
* Eastern Min (BUC): chiék
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): chhiap
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ciab$^4$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^7$chiq
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): cie$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qiè
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: ciè
*** Wade–Giles: chʻieh$^4$
*** Yale: chyè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chieh
*** Palladius: це (ce)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: jie$^2$ / qie$^2$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gie / kie
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕiɛ²¹/, /t͡ɕʰiɛ²¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: cip$^3$
*** Yale: chip
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tsip$^8$
*** Guangdong Romanization: qib$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰiːp̚³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: tiap$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰiap̚⁵⁵/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: qiet$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰiɛt̚⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhiap / chhiet
*** Hakka Romanization System: qiab$^ˋ$ / qied$^ˋ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: qiab$^5$ / qiad$^5$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰi̯ap̚²/, /t͡sʰi̯et̚²/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: qiab$^5$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰiap̚¹/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: qieh$^4$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡ɕʰiəʔ²/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: chiĕ
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰiɛ²⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: chiék
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰiɛʔ²⁴/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhiap
*** Tâi-lô: tshiap
*** Phofsit Daibuun: chiab
*** IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰiap̚³²/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰiap̚⁵/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰiap̚³²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰiap̚³²/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰiap̚³²/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ciab$^4$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshiap
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰiap̚²/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^7$chiq
*** MiniDict: chih$^入$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^4$qiq
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡ɕʰiɪʔ⁵⁵/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: cie$^6$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡sʰi̯e̞²⁴/
*** Sinological IPA (new-style): /t͡ɕʰi̯e̞²⁴/
* Middle Chinese: tshjep
Rime :
| Character | 妾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 清 (14) |
| Final (韻) | 葉 (155) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 七接切 |
| Baxter | tshjep |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡sʰiᴇp̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡sʰiɛp̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡sʰjæp̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /t͡sʰiap̚/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡sʰiɛp̚/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡sʰĭɛp̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /t͡sʰi̯ɛp̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | qie |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | cip$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ap/
    (Zhengzhang): /*sʰeb/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 妾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | qiè |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tshjep › |
| Old Chinese | /*[tsʰ]ap/ |
| English | concubine |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. ||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 妾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 10467 |
| Phonetic component | 妾 |
| Rime group | 盍 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 妾 |
| Old Chinese | /*sʰeb/ |

### Definitions

妾
* slave woman
    From: The Book of Documents, circa 7th – 4th centuries BCE
    Mǎ niú qí fēng, chén qiè būtáo, wù gǎn yuè zhú, zhī fù zhī, wǒ shāng lài rǔ. [Pinyin]
    When horses or oxen run about in heat, or when slaves and slave women abscond, do not dare go away [from the camp] and pursue them; but if you [catch them and] respectfully return them, I will reward you.
* concubine
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Chū mìng yuē: “Zhū bùxiào, wú yì shùzǐ, wú yǐ qiè wèi qī.” [Pinyin]
    The first injunction in their agreement was, "Slay the unfilial; change not the son who has been appointed heir; exalt not a concubine to be the wife."
* (archaic, humble) I; me (a term of self-address used by women)
    From: c. 1624, Feng Menglong (馮夢龍), The Courtesan's Jewel Box《警世通言·杜十娘怒沉百寶箱》, translation based on Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang's version
    Jīn zhòngrén gè yǒu ěrmù, gòng zuò zhèngmíng: qiè bù fù lángjūn, lángjūn zì fù qiè ěr! [Pinyin]
    All of you here today can be my witnesses: I have never been unfaithful to him; it is he who has been proven untrue to me!
    From: 《效崔國輔體》, Heo Nanseolheon（許蘭雪軒）, circa early 1600s
    Cheop yu hwanggeum chae, ga si wi susik. Geumil jeung gun haeng, cheol li jang sang eok. [Sino-Korean]
    I have a golden hairpin: my jewelry when I was married. Today I give it to you as you leave; long shall we remember each other, a thousand miles away.
* a surname

#### Synonyms

* (slave woman): 女奴 (nǚnú), 婢 (bì)
* (concubine):
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 妾, 姬, 媵, 妾媵, 媵妾, 侍妾, 姬妾, 側室, 偏室, 姑娘 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 妾, 偏房 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 小太太兒, 小婆婆兒, 小奶奶兒, 小的兒, 屋兒裡人 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 小老婆, 姨太太 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 小老婆 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 小老婆 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 小老婆 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Yantai (Muping) | 小老婆兒, 小婆子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Luoyang | 小老婆兒 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 小婆子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 小婆子, 小 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 小的兒, 小的, 小兒, 小點子, 小婆兒, 小婆子, 庶夫人 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 小老婆, 小 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 小老婆 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 小老婆 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 小老婆, 小婆子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 小堂客, 小, 姨太太 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 小婆娘, 姨太太 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 小的, 小, 小老婆, 小婆 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 小老婆 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 細婆, 妾侍 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 細婆, 妾侍 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 細婆 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 小老婆, 小 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 小婆 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 小老婆, 小婆子 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 小婆 |
| Hakka | Yudu | 小老婆 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 細姐, 細婆, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 細姆, 細姐仔, 細婆, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian) | 細姆 |
| Hakka | Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian) | 細姐仔 |
| Hakka | Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian) | 細姐仔 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 細姐, 細婆, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 細姐, 細姨, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 細姐, 細婆, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (Zhuolan; Raoping) | 細姐, 細婆, 偏房 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 細姐, 細姨, 偏房 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 細老嫗 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 小老婆, 姨娘, 姨太太 |
| Jin | Xinzhou | 小婆子 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 小嬤 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 細婆 non-face-to-face, 細姐 face-to-face, 姨太 older, 姑娘 younger, face to face |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 細姨 |
| Southern Min | Leizhou | 細娘 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 細姩, 細老婆, 孧老婆, 細 |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 細婆 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 小老媽, 小老婆, 小娘子, 偏房 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 小老婆, 小老官, 姨太太 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 小老媽 |
| Wu | Danyang | 小老媽 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 小老婆 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 小老𡢿 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 姨娘, 姨娘兒 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 小老婆, 小婆 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 小婆子, 小堂客 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 小 |

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 妾(しょう) (shō)
* → Korean: 첩(妾) (cheop)
* → Vietnamese: thiếp (妾)

#### Compounds

* 下妾
* 三妻四妾 (sānqīsìqiè)
* 三房四妾
* 主妾
* 仙妾
* 侍妾 (shìqiè)
* 僕妾 / 仆妾
* 先妾
* 兒妾 / 儿妾
* 內妾 / 内妾
* 副妾
* 園妾 / 园妾
* 團扇妾 / 团扇妾
* 女妾
* 妃妾
* 妓妾
* 妾人
* 妾侍 (qièshì)
* 妾勢 / 妾势
* 妾妃
* 妻妾 (qīqiè)
* 妾婦 / 妾妇
* 妾媵
* 妾御
* 妾身 (qièshēn)
* 妾身未明
* 妾魚 / 妾鱼
* 姻妾
* 姬妾 (jīqiè)
* 婢妾 (bìqiè)
* 婢妾魚 / 婢妾鱼
* 媵妾
* 嫡妾
* 嬌妻美妾 / 娇妻美妾
* 嬖妾
* 嬪妾 / 嫔妾
* 孤妾
* 孽妾
* 室妾
* 宮妾 / 宫妾
* 寵妾 / 宠妾
* 小妾
* 庶妾
* 微妾
* 愛妾 / 爱妾
* 愛妾換馬 / 爱妾换马
* 换妾
* 換妾 / 换妾
* 棄妾 / 弃妾
* 榜妾
* 江妾
* 津妾
* 灶妾
* 班妾
* 班妾辭輦 / 班妾辞辇
* 男妾 (nánqiè)
* 畜妾
* 竈妾 / 灶妾
* 童妾
* 箕帚妾
* 納妾 / 纳妾 (nàqiè)
* 老妾
* 臣妾
* 處妾 / 处妾
* 蛟妾
* 蠶妾 / 蚕妾
* 衾裯妾
* 讒妾 / 谗妾
* 貧妾 / 贫妾
* 貴妾 / 贵妾
* 賤妾 / 贱妾 (jiànqiè)
* 還妾 / 还妾
* 鄭家婢妾 / 郑家婢妾
* 長妾 / 长妾
* 陵園妾 / 陵园妾
* 陪妾
* 隸妾 / 隶妾
* 隸臣妾 / 隶臣妾
* 雨師妾 / 雨师妾
* 驕妾 / 骄妾
* 鬻妾
* 鬼妾
* 麗妾 / 丽妾

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)
* concubine
* servant

#### Readings

* Go-on: しょう (shō)
* Kan-on: しょう (shō)
* Kun: めかけ (mekake, 妾)、わらわ (warawa, 妾)

#### Compounds

* 妾狂(めかけぐる)い (mekakegurui)
* 妾出(しょうしゅつ) (shōshutsu)
* 妾宅(しょうたく) (shōtaku)
* 妾腹(しょうふく) (shōfuku), 妾腹(めかけばら) (mekakebara)
* 世間妾形気(せけんてかけかたぎ) (sekentekakekatagi)
* 愛妾(あいしょう) (aishō)
* 妻妾(さいしょう) (saishō)
* 侍妾(じしょう) (jishō)
* 男妾(だんしょう) (danshō), 男妾(おとこめかけ) (otokomekake)
* 蓄妾(ちくしょう) (chikushō)
* 寵妾(ちょうしょう) (chōshō)
* 洋妾(ようしょう) (yōshō)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 妾
* めかけ Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
For pronunciation and definitions of 妾 – see the following entry. :
| 【めかけ】 | [noun] 目掛け, 目掛, 妾: (by extension) kept woman; mistress; concubine Alternative spellings 目掛け, 目掛 |
(This term, 妾, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) :

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 妾
* わらわ Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
For pronunciation and definitions of 妾 – see the following entry. :
| 【わらわ】 | [pronoun] (archaic, women's speech, humble) I; me [pronoun] (Can we verify this sense?) (modern fiction, women's speech) I; me (used by haughty women of the highest classes of society); usually accompanied by archaic speech styles Alternative spelling 私 |
(This term, 妾, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) :

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 妾
* てかけ Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
* For pronunciation and definitions of 妾 – see the following entry: てかけ
(The following entry is uncreated: てかけ.)

### Etymology 4

* Kanji in this term
* 妾
* おんなめ Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
* For pronunciation and definitions of 妾 – see the following entry: おんなめ
(The following entry is uncreated: おんなめ.)

### Etymology 5

* Kanji in this term
* 妾
* しょう Hyōgai
* on'yomi

#### Noun

妾(しょう) • (shō)
* concubine

#### Pronoun

妾(しょう) • (shō)
* (humble, feminine) I, me

## Korean
### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 妾 (MC tshjep). Recorded as Middle Korean 쳡〮 (chyép) (Yale: chyep) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

### Hanja

Wikisource 妾 (eumhun 첩 첩 (cheop cheop))
* hanja form of 첩 (“concubine”)

#### Compounds

* 궁첩 (宮妾, gungcheop)
* 남첩 (男妾, namcheop)
* 애첩 (愛妾, aecheop)
* 처첩 (妻妾, cheocheop)

### References

* 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

妾: Hán Nôm readings: thiếp, thê
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.